The L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) extensively participates in nervous system development and the malignant progression of human tumours. The prognostic value of L1CAM for the survival of patients with solid tumours remains controversial. The present meta-analysis was thus performed to highlight the relationship between L1CAM expression and prognosis in cancer patients. Relevant publications were identified after searching several widely used databases, including PubMed, EMBASE and the ISI Web of Science. A fixed-effect or random-effect meta-analytical model was employed to correlate L1CAM expression with different outcome measures in both entire tumours and stratified subgroups. 37 studies in total with 8552 patients were eligible for the final analysis. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) suggested that high L1CAM expression had an unfavourable impact on overall survival (HR=2.06, 95%CI 1.65-2.57, P<0.001), disease-specific survival (HR=2.45, 95%CI 1.48-4.05, P<0.001), disease-free survival (HR=2.42, 95%CI 1.4-4.19, P=0.002) and progression-free survival/recurrence-free survival (HR=2.07, 95%CI 1.41-3.05, P<0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed a similar correlation in most tumour types. Overall, L1CAM might be an effective poor prognostic factor for patients with various tumour types.
Keywords: L1 cell adhesion molecule; cancer; meta-analysis; prognosis.